Handheld measurement tools such as digital multimeter (DMM) devices are used to measure a variety of parameters in a wide array of industrial and household settings. Sometimes a technician using a handheld measurement tool needs to measure a property of a system over an extended period of time, for example, to determine the presence of an intermittent fault. To perform such measurements, a technician has traditionally been required to record the readings manually. Further analysis of the measured data has traditionally required that a technician manually enter the measured data into a computer.
Some types of troubleshooting requires multiple instrument readings at different locations, and sometimes these measurements need to occur simultaneously or in close time proximity. Furthermore, calculations may need to be manually performed on measured data received from different locations.
Recently, more extensive multi-device measurement functionality and data storage have been incorporated into handheld measurement tools. Some measurement tools are now capable of displaying readings from remote measurement modules and storing measured data. However, adding multi-device functionality and storage capabilities brings concerns that the handheld measurement tools will be overly complex and difficult to use.